The Z326-0485 is a 4-position fixed-angle rotor for 85 mL tubes/bottles in the Hermle Z326 family — engineered around the 85 mL format with a deep adapter library that extends to 50 mL, 30 mL, and 15 mL tubes when the workflow needs format flexibility on the same rotor body. Compared to the higher-position-count Z326-0685 (6 × 85 mL angle), the Z326-0485 trades position count for higher RCF — 15,000 rpm / 23,140 × g vs the 6-position rotor's 13,000–13,500 rpm / 20,984–21,726 × g. This is the right Z326 angle rotor when the workflow needs 85 mL bottle capacity at the highest RCF the chassis can deliver.
Key Specifications
| SKU | Z326-0485 |
| Type | Fixed-angle rotor — 4 position |
| Tube capacity | 85 mL each (or smaller volumes via adapter inserts) |
| Tube count | 4 |
| Angle | 30° |
| Compatible chassis | Z326 family (and cross-compatible with Z32-HK per shared accessory catalog) |
| Max. operating speed | 15,000 rpm |
| Max. RCF at operating speed | 23,140 × g |
| Max. radius | 9.2 cm |
| Max. tube ø | 38 mm |
| Acceleration | 58 / 511 sec (standard / extended profile) |
| Deceleration | 51 / 1,460 sec (standard / extended-unbraked, per brochure) |
| Temperature at max. speed (refrigerated chassis) | 7 °C |
Compatibility & Configuration
Chassis compatibility. The Z326-0485 fits the Z326 family and is cross-listed in the Z32-HK accessory catalog — Hermle's accessory-table convention groups rotors that share spindle dimensions and speed-class compatibility across the Z326 and Z032-HK chassis lines. The rotor's RFID tag identifies it to the chassis at insertion; the drive applies the rotor's rated 15,000 rpm cap automatically.
85 mL direct fit + extensive adapter library. The 38 mm max tube diameter accepts standard 85 mL bottles directly. For smaller-volume work, the Z326-85-A* adapter family extends compatibility:
- Z326-85-A50R — 1 × 50 mL (round-bottom format) per bucket; 29 mm tube ø
- Z326-85-A50 — 1 × 50 mL conical per bucket; 29 mm tube ø
- Z326-85-A30 — 1 × 30 mL per bucket; 25 mm tube ø
- Z326-85-A15R — 1 × 15 mL (round-bottom format) per bucket; 17 mm tube ø
- Z326-85-A15 — 1 × 15 mL conical per bucket; 17 mm tube ø
Each adapter holds one tube per bucket position, so the 4-position rotor with adapters becomes 4 × 50 mL, 4 × 30 mL, or 4 × 15 mL per cycle (single adapter type per cycle for symmetric balance).
RFID-tagged. Rotor identity flows automatically to the chassis at insertion; per-rotor speed cap and imbalance threshold apply automatically.
Application Profile
4 × 85 mL high-RCF bottle workflows — the rotor's primary use case. Mid-volume bacterial cell-pellet recovery from 85 mL fermentation aliquots at 23,000 × g; protein-precipitation workflows in 85 mL format; environmental sample particulate clarification.
4 × 50 mL high-RCF tube workflows via Z326-85-A50R or Z326-85-A50 adapter — when the workflow is 50 mL conical or round-bottom and 23,140 × g is the target g-force. The angle geometry produces tighter pellets against the tube wall vs equivalent swing-out work.
4 × 30 mL precipitation work via Z326-85-A30 adapter — high-throughput acetone/TCA precipitation across 4 × 30 mL aliquots per cycle.
4 × 15 mL clinical-research high-RCF work via Z326-85-A15R or Z326-85-A15 adapter — when clinical samples need higher RCF than typical low-speed clinical centrifuges deliver (e.g., density-gradient work, cell-debris clearance, or fine-particulate retention from clinical samples).
Method development. Adjustable accel/decel including unbraked deceleration (1,460 sec extended profile) preserves loose pellets and density gradients during method-development runs.
Cold-chain protein work. When mounted in the refrigerated Z326-K chassis (or in Z032-HK), the rotor's 7 °C temperature-at-max-speed spec supports cold-sensitive protein-pelleting and post-lysis clarification.
Loading & Balance
4-tube symmetric loading. Use opposite tubes paired by weight (positions 1+3, 2+4); pre-balance to within the rotor's per-position tolerance.
Adapter consistency. When using adapters, all 4 positions must use the same adapter type for symmetric balance. Mixed-adapter loading produces asymmetric mass distribution that the chassis's imbalance shut-off would catch but should not be attempted intentionally.
Selectable accel/decel. The chassis's 10 acceleration / 10 deceleration rates apply to this rotor. The unbraked decel option (1,460 sec extended profile per brochure) is useful for gradient-preservation and loose-pellet work.
Ordering & Configuration
Z326-0485 ships as the rotor body alone — no buckets (this is an angle rotor, not a swing-out rotor — buckets do not apply), no adapters. Adapters and any specialty tube formats are sold separately.
Compatible adapters (sold separately):
- Z326-85-A50R / Z326-85-A50 — 50 mL adapters (round-bottom or conical)
- Z326-85-A30 — 30 mL adapter
- Z326-85-A15R / Z326-85-A15 — 15 mL adapters (round-bottom or conical)
Use the quote request to confirm: chassis pairing (Z326 family or Z032-HK), adapter inventory needed for the initial order (per workflow tube format), training, and lead time.
Warranty: 5-Year Hermle warranty (3 years full + 2 years drivetrain) on the rotor body. Includes balance validation through the Hermle service network.
Z326-0485 vs Z326-0685 selection: the Z326-0485 (this product, 4-position) trades position count for higher RCF — 23,140 × g at 15,000 rpm. The Z326-0685 (6-position 85 mL angle) gives more samples per cycle but at slightly lower RCF (20,984–21,726 × g). Pick based on whether the workflow optimizes for per-cycle throughput (Z326-0685) or maximum g-force per sample (Z326-0485, this product).
